Marin County is just North of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the West and San Francisco Bay to the East.
The county is famous for its views (and extraordinary view homes), waterfront dining, sailing, yacht clubs, mountain biking, superb public schools, Sausalito houseboat dwellers, a generally eclectic style and money. The county is also the "birthplace" of Lucas Films (Star Wars, etc.), home to dozens of internationally noted musicians including Grace Slick, Jefferson Starship, Huey Lewis and the News, Carlos Santana and home to hundreds of fine writers including Isabel Allende, Kay Boyle, Richard Brautigan, Ambrose Bierce, Martin Cruz Smith, Julia Child . . .
The county is divided geographically into four sections: Southern Marin, Central Marin, Northern Marin and West Marin (with its small coastal towns.
Its hamlets run the gamut from chic small towns ringing the Bay with multi-million dollar homes to West Marin farms that raise sheep, dairy cows and even oysters (in Tomales Bay). Dozens of truck farm operations produce organic vegetables for Bay Area restaurants and farmer's markets (about $3.9 million worth annually). Also there are eight commercial grape growers and several nurseries growing everything from roses and iris to heather and native plants. Marin's agricultural products are known for their high quality, freshness, and distinct flavor.
The current modest population spans a beautiful region that includes 33 open space reserves and a national seashore where residential development is prohibited. Sausalito is one of Marin County's smaller cities; the largest include San Rafael, Novato and Mill Valley.
Each page includes general information on the towns in Marin served by First California Realty, Inc.
Some of the information is quite dry, such as population (except that the low-density in Marin is exciting), but we will also include favorite facts about this amazing county as we develop these pages.
We can live anywhere, often at lower cost, but Marin is a mesmerizing county for thousands of reasons, including -- if you have to commute -- it affords one of the most beautiful commutes in the world across the Golden Gate Bridge, or by the ferryboats on San Francisco Bay which glide round trip between the city and Sausalito, Larkspur, and Tiburon. Please join us.
Marin's Population is 252,485 (2005, compiled by the State of California), with a low density because Marin's open space initiatives are commited to keeping approximately 50% of the County free of development. That ratio is quite unique: there are only a few places on the planet dedicated to that vast open spaces, which makes for sublime living. Yes it drives up property prices. But it's a choice: 10-20-40-60 floors of people living over/under you, or room to stretch?
Before Europeans arrived, the Coast Miwoks enjoyed thousands of peaceful years in the pristine beauty along the shorelines of Marin County. The Coast Miwok traversed the Bay in boats of tule reeds. Early paintings of San Francisco Bay depict the Miwok's reed craft floating alongside sailing vessels from around the world once the massive migration began from European nations. The Native Americans were expert at fishing and the annual spawning runs were made through Racoon Strait, just offshore from Angel Island, and other fish and shellfish were plentiful year-round. They also hunted deer, duck, sea birds, and gathered acorns, buckeye, and other seed crops. About 600 village sites have been identified around Marin.
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 The first Spanish settlement in Marin was not established until 1817 when Mission San Rafael Archangel was founded partly is response to the Russian-built Fort Ross in Sonoma County. The building, located in central San Rafael, is still intact and in use for Sunday services.
Chief Marin, who was named by the Spaniards, led a band of resisters against the Spaniards, and was formidable enough that the county was name in his honor. In 1821 control of California passed from Spain to Mexico, and for the next decade, Marin was divided into ranchos.
 California became a state in 1850 and Marin one of its original counties. As settlement accelerated, the huge cattle-raising ranchos gradually gave way to smaller ranches, many of which still flourish.
In 1972 the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, which borders Sausalito, was created. It encompasses the Marin Headlands (easily accessed from Sausalito), Muir Woods and thousands of acres along the Pacific Coast. |
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